


So Familiar A Gleam

by sharptongued



Series: Hypnotizing Steve [2]
Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Dubious Consent, Hypnosis, Light Angst, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-16
Updated: 2019-08-16
Packaged: 2020-09-01 20:28:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,303
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20264059
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sharptongued/pseuds/sharptongued
Summary: Tony and Steve go out for dinner, Tony is slightly overexcited and more than slightly nervous, Steve goes under and makes a confession, they talk it out- and it's going to work out okay.Direct sequel to Help Me Out, posted as a sequel rather than a second chapter to allow for a plot divergence.





	So Familiar A Gleam

**Author's Note:**

> This is the light and fluffy one, folks. Well, lightish. Room for continuation, but likely to be a one shot. The dark one's coming. The set up and intro will largely be the same, but the mood and ending will be different (obviously). There will be warnings on that one. This one, the warning for dubcon is small- see the end notes for an explanation if you need one- be safe.

They manage to mostly avoid each other for a couple of days, really only bumping into each other by the kitchen, then Steve texts Tony- "How does tonight work for you?" 

Tony smiles at his phone in the lab, then blushes and he's glad he's alone. Is this a date? It feels like it might kinda be a date. Shit. Where's he gonna take Steve? Is that gonna affect how things go? His brain starts spinning out on him, then he gets a hold of himself. Maybe he should answer the damn text before he has a full blown anxiety attack.

"Sure, what time were you thinking?" There. See? Easy.

A response pops up right away- Steve must have been waiting for Tony's answer. Maybe he's excited too? Tony bites his lower lip. "Whenever, Tony, my schedule is open. But I know you're a busy guy ;)"

A wink emoji? Tony is going to die. Maybe Steve doesn't know what that means? No, he definitely does- despite all Tony's jokes, Steve is frustratingly tech literate for a centenarian. 

"I know you elderly people like to eat early in the evening, how's five sound?" There, a joke. Tony's smooth. He's still got it.

"I think maybe you just want to see me earlier in the day. ;) But five works for me. Meet you in the lobby?" Steve is flirting. That's definitely flirting. Right? Tony's going to give himself a heart attack by lunch, forget dinner.

"Sounds good. Wear something nice, gramps."

"I always try to look my best around you."

Yup. Tony's gonna die. But at least it'll be nice.

Tony is late- only a few minutes, and he got distracted, it could have been worse, he'd forgotten entire evenings out in the past- and he exits the elevator to see Steve fixing his cuffs in a black sport coat, a neat white shirt with the top three buttons open, show a tantalizing flash of chest and throat, and well fitted burgundy slacks, his hair slicked back. Tony feels his mouth go dry.

Steve looks up as the elevator opens and smiles, wide and open at Tony. "Was starting to think you'd forgotten about me," he says, teasing lightly, but Tony can see the shadow of real worry lingering there.

"How could I forget about you, Red, White and Beautiful?" Tony shoots back, and the light blush that stains Steve's cheeks is deeply gratifying, makes Tony feel a little less like jumping out of his skin. Still got it, Stark.

"You're incorrigible," Steve tells him, but he still holds the door open for him, so he figures he's not really in any trouble.

They drive to the restaurant together in companionable silence, just a bit of tension there, but nothing unbearable. Tony looks over at Steve at a red light and catches Steve doing the same and they both laugh and look away like teenagers.

This is almost definitely a date.

Tony parks and it's a pretty great spot- probably nabbed it right after someone left work, maybe this 5 o'clock dinner thing isn't so bad after all- and he holds the door for Steve going into Keens. Steve nods his head in thanks, and Tony gets to look at his ass in those damn burgundy pants. Win-win.

Steve looks around at the dark wood, the historical tidbits around the lobby. "Wow, Tony, this place is really nice... We could have just gotten a burger or something, you know I'm easy."

Tony wiggles his eyebrows. "Is that a fact?"

Steve flushes dark to the tips of his ears and the maitre'd tells them their table is ready, escorts them over. "Enjoy your meal, gentlemen."

Steve's eyes widen at the prices on the menu and Tony immediately shushes him before he can even protest. "You did me a favor, I'm spoiling you a little. Be glad I didn't drag you to Le Bernardin. And don't go trying to pinch pennies on me, order anything you think sounds good- that's an order, soldier." 

Steve rolls his eyes, but he doesn't complain any more, and when the waiter comes to check on them, he orders an appetizer and a drink- Tony's glad he took him to heart. He does the same and their cocktails come quick and cold, just how he likes them. He loves this place.

They're chatting as they sip their drinks and eat their appetizers, salad for Steve, charred shishito peppers for Tony, just casual back and forth; the team, the weather, sports- Steve is a rabid baseball fan, to Tony's amusement- then they order dinner, and when the food comes, even the easy back and forth largely dies off as they both dig in. When Steve puts the first bite of mutton in his mouth, he groans softly and his eyes slide shut and wow if that doesn't go straight to Tony's dick.

He clears his throat and Steve flushes. "Uh. Sorry. It's really, really good. You want a piece?" he asks, immediately going to cut some for Tony. He waves him off.

"No no, I'm good with my steak. Besides, if you like it that much, I wouldn't want to deprive you." Steve smiles, warm and a little shy, and goes back to his plate with gusto. 

It takes Tony a minute to go back to eating.

After a while they both finish and even Steve, with his super soldier appetite, is patting his stomach. "Wow. That was a lot. And very delicious," he says, giving Tony a wide, genuine smile, "Thank you Tony. This was really nice. I'm sorry I ever even hinted that you might back out."

Tony smiles, laughs. "Wouldn't have been the first time I'd forgotten a dinner. But I'm trying to be better, more attentive in my old age. You want dessert?" 

Steve shakes his head. "Maybe back to the Tower?"

"Sure," Tony says easily, and he leaves enough cash on the table for most of the staff to be able to go on vacation, "Your chariot awaits."

They head back together, and stand a little awkwardly in the lobby, neither of them quite sure what to say. Finally, Tony starts to say, "Would you want to-" just as Steve says, "Hey Tony, d'you think-" They both stop and blink at each other, then laugh.

"Go 'head," Steve says.

"No, I insist," Tony says, and Steve blushes again- Tony thinks maybe he could get used to seeing that, causing it.

"Well um. I was just thinking, and y'know, I mean, you don't have to, but I was wondering, if maybe you might," he takes a little breath, steels himself, "if you might wanna... run that experiment on me again," he says, and it takes Tony a second to figure out what he means.

He laughs, not meanly, but Steve still winces, colors darkly with embarrassment and shit, Tony didn't mean for that to happen at all. "No Steve, it's fine- please don't- don't think i'm being mean. I'm just- I was surprised, that's all. So you really liked it?"

Steve shifts on his feet, looks down at the floor. "It helped, like you said it would. I felt calm and relaxed for the rest of the night. Slept well and everything," he says shyly, and it sounds a little like it's costing him something to admit all this. Tony is strangely touched Steve is telling him. "I'm sorry I treated it like a joke at first, Tony. I think you're right, that it could- it could really help people. And yes, also I... I liked it, yes."

Tony smiles. "Well we can do it again, sure. Now?"

Steve bites his lip, looks up at Tony hopefully. "If that's okay. Do we have to go back to the lab?"

Tony shakes his head. "No, just somewhere you feel comfortable. I left uh... I guess you could think about it like a backdoor in your head, to take you back to trance without the tablet, speed things up."

Steve shifts again, looking faintly uneasy, but mostly anticipatory. "Well we could... we could go up to my apartment then I guess. The couch you put in there is nice," he says, and Tony nods.

"That's a good idea. Familiar surroundings," he says, and Steve nods. He hits the call button for the elevator. They get in together and stand in silence on the way up, slightly more tense than in the car.

They're almost up there when Steve breaks the dense quiet. "Hey Tony, this backdoor thing... to put me back like that. It only works for you, right?"

Tony soothes him right away. "Oh yes of course. Only when I say the word, Steve, no one else is getting to short circuit you all of the sudden."

Some of the tension in Steve's shoulders lets go, and he huffs out a sigh. "Oh, okay. As long as it's you. I don't mind so much then."

Tony offers him a reassuring smile, and the doors open. Steve goes to sit down on the couch and Tony stands behind him, warm gentle hands on his shoulders, just like the other night.

"Ready, Steve?"

He takes a shaky breath, nods. "Yeah... Yeah okay. Go for it."

"Casablanca," Tony says softly, and Steve has a second to blink before it drags him under like a wave, his eyes sliding shut and his body slumping forward, a puppet with its strings cut.

Tony walks around to the front, just to look at him. He looks so soft and small like this, most of the presence Steve carries with him smoothed away by the trance. He looks... vulnerable. Human. Tony squats in front of him, takes his hands in his.

"Steve, can you hear me?" he asks gently, and Steve stirs, just a little.

"Yeah," he replies, almost like he's talking in his sleep.

It's probably wrong that Tony thinks it's a little hot. Whatever. He'll shame himself later.

"You feel good, like you did the other night?"

"Yeah," he breathes, and Tony swears he smiles a little, "Good... Safe..." 

Tony has a dark flash of insecurity, thinking back to Bucky and the fight that had nearly torn the Avengers apart completely and he thinks well... What harm can a question do? It's not like Steve will remember, anyway.

"Stay in this deep, warm, safe place with me," Tony says, rubbing his thumbs over the backs of Steve's hands. Steve nods and sighs, content. "You know you're safe here, safe with me. Is there anything you want to tell me, Steve? Anything you're hiding?"

Steve's brow wrinkles, and Tony keeps up his patter, soothes him. "Easy Steve, remember, you're safe, it's open, you can be honest. Relax, let it out. You'll feel better once you get it off your chest, and you already feel so good, so safe and warm and soft..."

Steve's face smooths back out and he sighs, nods. "Yes... There's something I haven't told you..." he says slowly, and though fear and anger flare up in Tony, he gets a hold of it, forces it down. He and Steve are friends now, much closer than they had been back when that whole mess had happened. He'll just... convince Steve to tell him, coax it out of him, and they can talk about it from there, if necessary. 

He keeps rubbing Steve's hands, "Easy Steve, it's alright... breathe... soft and slow, so deep for me... What is it that you haven't told me? Why haven't you told me?"

Steve looks as though he might cry, briefly, but then he smooths out again, the sadness in his voice the only giveaway for his turmoil. "Don't... Don't wanna hurt the team... Everything's so good now... Don't wanna be selfish..."

Tony's heart breaks and he feels guilty, but he swallows hard. He needs to know. What if something is wrong? What if Steve is sick, somehow?

"Shhh, sweetheart," he says, and he settles Steve's hands in his lap, goes back behind him to rub at his shoulders like the first time, reinforcing the connection between touch and safety, between the both of those and trance, "You can tell me. Everything is safe here. You can say anything, and it'll be okay, I promise. All safe and easy..."

The little tension that Steve was holding onto bleeds off, and he makes a soft, broken noise, almost like a sob. "I... I have feelings for you... just... just didn't want to say anything... would rather just be friends... than lose you..." he confesses, the words dragged out of him, and Tony thinks he might faint. Oh fuck, Steve has feelings for him, that's amazing. Oh fuck, he just pulled a confession out of him like a torture technician. He's a bastard.

He keeps rubbing Steve's shoulders until his breathing evens back out after what he's said. He has to fix this. He thinks he can. He hopes he can. "Easy, sweetheart, easy," he soothes, and Steve seems to respond positively to the affection, going looser under his hands, "It's okay, that was good. We're going to wake you up now, nice and slow... I want you to remember what happened, remember what you told me... it's okay, we'll just talk, I want to talk to you, okay? So I'm going to bring you up now. Ready? One... Two..." Tony snaps, and Steve blinks awake under his hands, tension running through him like a live wire.

"Steve I'm sorry, I just-" Had a moment of weakness so I dug through your brain like a kid looking for marshmallows in Lucky Charms? What the fuck does he even say?

Steve puts his face in his hands. "I'm so embarrassed. Christ," he says, voice muffled by his palms, so Tony can't quite tell his tone. He comes around the couch and risks a hand on Steve's shoulder, squeezes gently.

"Steve I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have done that."

Steve looks up and there's anger in every line of his face. "No, you shouldn't have," he says sharply, "Fuck, Tony, I'm not a toy or a puzzle for you to play around with or crack open."

Tony winces, draws back. He deserves that. "No I know, Steve, I'm sorry. You're right. I... I don't know what to say."

Steve sighs, and some of the anger drains away, replaced with resignation. He laughs weakly. "Tony Stark at a loss for words. Someone alert the media," he says, and it would be funny except for all the ways it isn't. He sighs again, rests his elbows on his knees and leans forward, running a hand through his hair. "Well. I guess at least you know now. Surprise."

"Yeah, I know you have feelings for me and I blew it like a jerk off. No surprise there," Tony says bitterly, angry at himself.

"I'm sorry if it makes you uncomfortable-" Steve starts and then he stops, blinks. "Wait, did you say you blew it? You're not mad? Or disgusted?"

Tony draws back like he was burned. "Disgusted? What are you, fucking crazy? Captain America has feelings for me? I'd scream it from the rooftops if I hadn't just blown it to smithereens."

Steve looks down at the carpet. He's still kind of angry, but he looks... contemplative. "Maybe..." he says, slowly, "Maybe you didn't. If we talk this over."

Tony snaps to attention. "Yes, anything. Talking, talking is great, I love talking."

Steve laughs at him, and a lot of the darkness leaves his face, the burden on his shoulders lightens some. "Alright Stark, don't wet your pants. If we try this, and that's a big fucking if right now, there have got to be ground rules, understand?"

Tony nods furiously. "I'm all ears. Rules, I love rules," he says, a half desperate grin curling on his mouth, hope blooming in his heart like a weed.

Steve holds his hand up, and Tony stills, quiets. "First, don't you ever fucking do something like that to me again. If you want to ask me something, just ask. We're friends. Maybe more. I understand why you did it, I do, fear can be a powerful thing, and so can power, but if you ever take advantage of me like that again, I won't even look at you, let alone date you."

Tony shrinks, and he nods. "I get it, and I'll be sorry for the rest of my stupid, impulsive life-"

Steve cuts him off. "Talking like that doesn't help. Just be better." Tony nods again, chastised.

"Second... This can't affect the team. If we try this, and it doesn't work out, we need to be okay with each other. Okay?"

"Okay. I agree. Yes, definitely."

"Third. Um. Hmm. I guess we'll come up with other rules if we need them. But those two are non negotiable." Tony nods again, and Steve smiles shyly, the last of the thunder leaving his expression, and Tony feels his heart swell. He didn't fuck this up irreparably. He has a chance.

"So uh. Ground rules all laid out and all... I'd um... I'd sure like to kiss you, everything out in this open."

The birds are singing, the sun is in the sky, and Steve Rogers wants to kiss him. Somebody pinch him. This is a dream. He's died and somehow ended up in heaven despite his entire lifetime of hedonism and sins- and oh, Steve is kissing him. Steve's soft lips are pressing against his, and Tony is kissing back and it's wonderful. It's great. It's really, really good. Maybe perfect, he's not sure, he'll have to have another one for research purposes and oh, is that tongue?

Steve pulls back slowly and he's smiling like the cat who got the canary. Tony raises a hand to his lips and touches them gently like he's trying to make sure that really just happened. Steve laughs at him gently, and it doesn't bother Tony one bit.

"Alright, now get out," Steve says, pushing at his shoulder, gesturing towards the elevator, and it's like someone poured a bucket of cold water on Tony. He blinks at Steve, trying to figure out what he's done in the last ten seconds to fuck this up when he was so overjoyed that he hadn't, and Steve takes pity on him. 

"Relax. I'm just not going to take you to bed right after our first kiss. I ain't that kinda girl, Stark," he says, and it shocks a rough laugh out of Tony.

"Fair," he says, "Totally fair."

He gets up and walks towards the elevator, hits the call button, but Steve stops him. "Hey Tony," he says, and Tony stops, turns around.

"Just letting you know... Natasha found out I saw Snow White and Fantasia before the war and liked them, so she made me watch the rest of the Disney movies with her," Steve says, and Tony cocks his head, trying to figure out what the hell that has to do with anything.

"Uh huh. Yeah, those movies are great," he says, confused, waiting for Steve to explain.

"Well we watched Sleeping Beauty, and I really liked it. Especially the part when Aurora is hypnotized towards the spindle... Gorgeous animation," he continues, and oh. Tony thinks he might get it now.

"Well... Just saying. If we get to the point where I trust you with that again... How'd you like to be the wicked witch and the hero who wakes the princess?"

The door dings and the elevator opens behind him. He steps in, mind reeling, already thinking about how he could project the spiral app into a staff like Maleficent's. Steve smiles at him. "Good night Tony," he says, and Tony waves absent mindedly, the doors closing in front of them.

He hums "Once Upon a Dream" for the rest of the week.

**Author's Note:**

> The dubcon warning is for Tony forcing Steve to confess to hiding something while he's in trance.The scene is not that brief, but it is contained, and Tony wakes him up afterward and is honest with him.


End file.
